Stacking device



June 21, 1966 w. POTRAFKE STACKING DEVICE Filed Dec. 16, 1963 /N VEA/TOR lll/ll//l/lllll//ll/llll/llll/l/lll/ United States Patent Office 3,257,004 STACKING DEVICE Werner Potrafke, Hufeisenstr. 6Hattingen (Ruhr),

Germany Filed Dec. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 330,933 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 22, 1962,

2 claims. (ci. 214-6) The present invention relates to a stacking device with a horizontal supporting plate adapted to receive articles of the same type, said supporting plate being guided on a guiding bar for upward and downward movement. The device according to the present invention is in particular intended for stacking shopping baskets in supermarkets, etc., especially at the cashiers station.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device of the type set forth above with means which will positively support the supporting plate at various levels thereof.

It is another object of this invention to provide'a supporting device, especially for supporting shopping baskets, in which the supporting plate forsuch baskets will automatically be returned to its elevated position when it is not under load.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention Will appear more clearly from the following specication in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view and partial section of a device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the left-hand portion of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken along the line Ill-III of FIG. 1.

The device according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that in addition to the guiding bar on which an annular member, for instance a sleeve, is slidably mounted for supporting' a supporting plate, there is provided an additional shaft or rod rotatable about its longitudinal axis. Connected to this additional shaft are supporting dogs respectively arranged at different levels for engagement with and supporting said annular member. The said dogs are arranged on said additional shaft along a helix of relatively high pitch. Depending on the angular position of said additional shaft, one or the other of said dogs will become eiective for supporting the supporting plate. Thus, by rotating said additional shaft, said supporting plate may be supported by said dogs at various levels. Preferably, the said additional shaft is drivingly connected to a handwheel through the intervention of a transmission. By rotating the handwheel, it is thus possible to vary the angular position of said additional shaft and thereby the level atwhich the dogs become effective for supporting the supporting plate.

If the device according 'to the present invention is 'employed in supermarkets or the like for stacking shopping baskets, the supporting plate is rst moved into its uppermost or elevated position. When stacking baskets on said supporting plate, it is desired that the supporting plate moves to a lower position for facilitating the stacking of further baskets. To this end, the handwheel is turned so that .the respective dog corresponding to the respective lower position will become elfective.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the arrangement shown therein comprises a cashiers table the front wall of which is designated with the reference-numeral 10. The said table furthermore comprises a partition 11, a side wall 12, a bottom plate 13 and supporting legs 14 and 15.

The front Wall '10 is provided with a slot 10a through which extends a supporting arm 16 having connected thereto on one hand a supporting plate 17 and on the other hand a guiding sleeve 18. Said supporting platel 19 for vertically guiding supporting plate 17. A movement of the supporting plate 17 in a horizontal plane is prevented by the cooperation of arm 16 with slot 10a. If desired, the sleeve 18 may be provided with ball rings the balls of which engage the guiding shaft 19. Sleeve 18 has furthermore connected thereto an extension 21 for a purpose which will presently appear.

The arrangement according to the invention furthermore comprises a vertical shaft 22 which is rotatably journalled in suitable bearings for permitting rotation of said shaft about its longitudinal axis. Connected to shaft 22 but otfset with regard to each other in vertical and horizontal direction are dogs 23a, 23b, 23e and 23d the upper ends of which have mounted thereon pressure springs 24a, 24b, 24e and 24d respectively. The upper ends of these pressure springs are coaxially arranged with regard to said shaft 22 and are located along a helix having av relatively high pitch. The said pressure springs are intended yieldably to support and rest the extension 21 and thereby the supporting plate 17 Mounted on shaft 22 is a pinion 25 which meshes with an endless chain 26. Chain 26 also meshes with a second pinion 20 rotatably connected to a handwheel 27. It will thus be appreciated that in certain angular positions of handwheel 27 the respective dogs 24a, 24b, 24C and 24d will become effective as supporting means for the supporting plate 17 The top portion of shaft 22 is provided with a groove 28 for guiding a cable 29 one end ofwhich is connected to shaft 22 whereas the other end is connected to one end of a tension spring 30 the other end of which is tixedly connected at 31 to the frame of the device.

Sleeve 18 is provided with an eye 18a having connected .thereto one end 33 of a cable 34 which passes over an upper roller 35 and a lower roller 36 and has its other end connected to one end of a tension spring 37 the other end of which is connected to a stationary point at 39.

As indicated above, shopping baskets 38 may be deposited on supporting plate 17 and may be stacked thereon. When a certain number of baskets has been stacked on supporting arm 17 and the latter has been lowered in the direction of the arrow 42 to its lowermost position, the handles 44 of the baskets rest on longitudinal arms 39 of a carriage 41 provided with wheels 40. Carriage 41 is so designed that it may receive two stacks of shopping baskets. A complete stack of shopping baskets on carriage 41 is designated with the reference numeral 43. When the carriage 41 is properly moved into the device for receiving a stack of baskets, the longitudinal arms 39 Will be located laterally of the supporting plate 17 but *below the handles 44-of the baskets carried thereby.

Furthermore, in this position the arms 39 will also be located in vertical planes laterally of shafts 19 and 22. In this way it is possible for loading stacks of baskets from supporting arm 17 onto carriage 41, first to move carriage 41 toward the right (with regard to FIG. 1) to such an extent that the part now supporting the stack 43 will be located below the supporting plate 17. The arms 39 then engaging the handle 44 of the lowermost basket will support and receive the entire stack. The carriage 41 may then be retracted into the position shown in FIG. 1 in which position it will be ready to receive the next stack supported by supporting plate 17.

Assuming that the supporting plate 17 is empty and is to receive baskets, supporting plate 17 is irst moved into its uppermost position by means of spring 37 and cable 34 connected thereto and to sleeve 18.

Assuming also that a number of baskets have been y stacked on the supporting plate 17 and that the latter is Patented June 21, 1966 3 to be lowered to a certain extent, the operator rotates the hand wheel 27 and thereby a shaft 22 to such an extent that dog 23b will move into a position below extension 21. This position may be indicated by a marker on handwheel 37 with regard to a corresponding scale.

As long as extension 21 of supporting plate 17 rests on dog 23a or the pressure spring carried thereby, supporting plate 17 and the stack of baskets carried by the latter will be retained in the respective adjusted position. This play may then be repeated accordingly when it iS desired to lower the stack further.

When the supporting plate 17 has been lowered to such an extent that the handles 44 of the lowermost baskets rest on the rail 39 of carriage 41, the stack can be removed from plate 17, as indicated above. As has also been indicated above, spring7 37 will then return the empty supporting plate 17 to its elevated position.

It is, of course, to be understood, that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the drawing, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, instead of the dogs 23a, 23b, 23e and 23d with the corresponding pressure springs thereon, it is also possible to provide other supporting means.

What I claim is:

1. In a stacking device for stacking similar objects, especially shopping baskets in self-service stores: supporting means movable upwardly and downwardly for receiving and supporting the baskets to be stacked, guiding means engaged by said supporting plate means at one side edge of the supporting plate means for guiding the latter during its upward and downward movement, means including power storage means connected to said supporting means and operable to move the latter to its elevated position when said supporting plate means does CFI not support any objects to be stacked, a plurality of stop means offset from each other both in horizontal and vertical direction and being operable selectively and individually to be moved into and out of the path of movement of said supporting means for selectively abutting said supporting plate means from beneath and positively stopping said supporting plate means, and means operatively connected to said stop means and operable to actuate the same into and out of eiective position.

2. A stacking device according to claim 1, which includes: carriage means having longitudinal rails spaced from each other in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of said rails and having a length at least approximately twice the length of that portion of said supporting plate means which protrudes from said guiding `post means, said carriage means being movable below said supporting plate means with the rails moving laterally of said guiding post means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 10,192 10/1882 Tewksbury IS7-32 643,761 2/1900 Cizek 187-5 1,029,823 6/1912 Richardson 187-9 1,565,984 12/ 1925 Brockenbrough. 2,642,221 6/1953 Ofutt et al. 214-41 2,925,886 2/1960 Grondona 214-89 X 3,101,851 8/1963 Heide 214-6 3,104,141 9/1963 Roulina 187--22 X GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

MORRIS TEMIN, Examiner.

M. WOLSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A STACKING DEVICE FOR STACKING SIMILAR OBJECTS, ESPECIALLY SHOPPING BASKETS IN SELF-SERVICE STORES: SUPPORTING MEANS MOVABLE UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE BASKETS TO BE STACKED, GUIDING MEANS ENGAGED BY SAID SUPPORTING PLATE MEANS AT ONE SIDE EDGE OF THE SUPPORTING PLATE MEANS FOR GUIDING THE LATTER DURING ITS UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENT, MEANS INCLUDING POWER STORAGE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS AND OPERABLE TO MOVE THE LATTER TO ITS ELEVATED POSITION WHEN SAID SUPPORTING PLATE MEANS DOES NOT SUPPORT ANY OBJECTS TO BE STACKED, A PLURALITY OF STOP MEANS OFFSET FROM EACH OTHER BOTH IN HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DIRECTION AND BEING OPERABLE SELECTIVELY AND INDIVIDUALLY TO BE MOVED INTO AND OUT OF THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ABUTING SAID SUPPORTING PLATE MEANS FROM BENEATH AND POSITIVELY STOPPING SAID SUPPORTING PLATE MEANS, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID STOP MEANS AND OPERABLE TO ACTUATE THE SAME INTO AND OUT OF EFFECTIVE POSITION. 